Nigerians cherish it when they host and win major sporting events. This is why the slogan “we are hosting to win” is commonly heard in Nigerian sports. “Hosting to win” means that a host city, state or the country itself is not just organising the tournament for the sake of hospitality but is actively determined to clinch the title or top position.

“Hosting to win” advocates rely heavily on home advantage—home ground, local fans, and familiar conditions—to dominate visiting opponents. Proponents of this philosophy often reject the idea of merely being a friendly host. In Nigeria, while visitors are welcome to enjoy local hospitality, organisers work assiduously for the trophy to stay home.

However, on Monday, December 7, the crème de la crème of African football will gather in Lagos for the prestigious 2026 Confederation of African Football (CAF) Awards Ceremony, yet there will be no major award winner from the host nation. Nigeria will watch helplessly as visitors cart away the most coveted honours. It has never been this bleak since Nigeria first hosted the CAF Awards in 2005 in Abuja.

In the past, Nigerian football stars enjoyed massive success when the country hosted the ceremony, sweeping several major individual and team categories. For instance, in 2005, the legendary Perpetua Nkwocha won the Women’s Player of the Year award, while Mikel Obi emerged as the Young Player of the Year. In subsequent editions held in Nigeria, stars such as Asisat Oshoala, Vincent Enyeama, Christian Chukwu, Stephen Keshi, Kelechi Iheanacho, Victor Osimhen and Alex Iwobi—alongside the national teams—featured prominently among the winners.

However, as Nigeria prepares to host the continent for the sixth time, the narrative is completely different. CAF has announced the final shortlist and no Nigerian male players were selected for the top categories, while several notable Super Falcons stars were left off the Women’s Player of the Year list.

This has sparked widespread debate over whether 2026 would mark the first time Nigeria hosts the continent without securing a major individual accolade.

Despite Nigeria’s historical standing in African football, the country earned only four nominations across all shortlists. In a shocking turn of events, Nigeria was completely omitted from the Men’s Player of the Year category, just as no Super Falcons player made the cut for the Women’s Player of the Year award. All remaining hopes rest on the women’s national team and individual youth categories. A look at the shortlist reveals nominations for the Super Falcons (Women’s National Team of the Year), Christiana Uzoma of Edo Queens (Women’s Goalkeeper of the Year), and both Seimeyeha Janet Akekoromowei (Benfica/Falconets) and Oluwakemi Adegbuyi (Robo Queens/Flamingos) for Women’s Young Player of the Year.

If Nigeria is to take anything home from this year’s CAF Awards, it would be from this quartet. Truthfully, the total blackout across all seven men’s categories and the flagship Women’s Player of the Year award serves as a stark reality check. Coming right after consecutive African Men’s Player of the Year victories by Victor Osimhen (2023) and Ademola Lookman (2024), this exclusion signals a sharp decline in the continental standing of the nation’s teams. While Nigeria is entirely absent from the main list, key rivals – Morocco and Senegal – boast of three nominees each for the Men’s Best Player award.

Given how sharply Nigerian football has fallen, CAF’s decision to overlook the nation’s players for top honors comes as no surprise. Without a doubt, the single biggest factor behind the men’s shutout is the Super Eagles’ failure to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Global tournament performances carry immense weight with CAF when deciding individual honours. Missing out on the World Cup deprived Nigeria’s top stars of the international visibility enjoyed by their peers from Morocco, Senegal, and Côte d’Ivoire, who dominate the nominations.

While players like Victor Osimhen had strong club campaigns, individual accolades in African football remain heavily tied to national team success. The Super Eagles managed only a third-place finish at the 2025/2026 AFCON. Similarly, the Super Falcons exited the 2026 WAFCON in the quarter-finals against Cameroon and failed to qualify for the 2027 Women’s World Cup. When national teams underachieve collectively, elite players inevitably pay the price during award season.

Beyond missing out on senior national team and individual awards, Nigeria’s absence from the Men’s Club of the Year and Interclub Player of the Year categories highlights the ongoing struggles of the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL).

While North African clubs and South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns consistently dominate continental competitions to earn recognition, Nigerian clubs rarely make deep runs into the final stages of the CAF Champions League or CAF Confederation Cup. Currently, no Nigerian club remains in active CAF inter-club competitions. Expecting nominations under these circumstances would be unrealistic and unfair to performing teams.

But in spite of the gloom, there is a glimmer of hope in youth development. The nominations of Nigerian players in the youth categories show where the future of the domestic game is being preserved. The impressive performance of the Flamingos at the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco indicates that Nigeria’s young female talents are capable of restoring the country’s global image.

Hosting the continent’s biggest football event on December 7 while watching from the sidelines is indeed a humbling experience, but it also offers a clear blueprint for redemption. To overcome this setback and ensure that Nigeria never hosts an award ceremony empty-handed again, key structural reforms must be prioritised: reorganising the senior national teams (Super Eagles and Super Falcons), prioritising major qualification campaigns, reviving the youth pipeline (U-17 and U-20), overhauling the domestic league, and professionalising women’s football governance.

For the 2026 awards, it will feel like a bittersweet affair—substantial public funds spent hosting an event that yields few, if any, podium finishes for the host nation. While the event will showcase the country’s signature hospitality and rich cultural heritage, winning some of African football’s most coveted prizes would have been the true icing on the cake.